According to American scientists, rescuers who provided first aid to victims of the attack on the WTC towers in New York on September 11, 2001, are at risk of serious diseases. They have a higher number of mutations in their blood which may predispose them to blood cancers and heart disease. These people inhaled a mixture of harmful carcinogenic substances for a long time. A similar risk may apply to the injured who survived this tragic event.
Researchers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Tennessee set out to thoroughly investigate did the rescue operations carried out after the attacks on the World Trade Center affect the health of firefighters and other people who came close to the rubble.
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700 people took part in the study
Together with researchers from New York, the researchers analyzed blood samples of firefighters who were then present at the WTC and those collected from firefighters of a similar age but not participating in rescue operations. The study covered over 700 people. Its results were published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Scientists found that a much higher percentage of firefighters involved in rescue operations had mutations in their blood cells, suggesting clonal hematopoiesis (CH). This is the process by which stem cells, which eventually turn into blood cells, begin to create the same genetic mutations. CH typically occurs in smokers, as well as in those exposed to genotoxic substances (those that cause carcinogenic chemicals to react directly with DNA).
Rescuers exposed to serious health consequences
The results of the study showed that firefighters involved in rescue operations after attacks on the WTC are at risk of developing blood cancer and heart disease. This means that the thousands of injured people who survived the 11/2001 attacks also need thorough screening tests to identify the persistent effects of attacks and may require additional support as their organisms age — scientists suggest.
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